Human Resources build our teams and connect our communities. They enable our colleagues to be their best at both work and home by delivering the rewards, benefits, and processes that make life easier. They act as true partners to the rest of the business and develop learning experiences that fulfill potential and maximise performance.
As a company, our success depends on our diverse and multi-talented teams. So, our Human Resources team focuses on delivering the best employee experiences – both big and small. From the rewards and benefits we offer to the support and learning we provide. From partnering with the business to building teams and communities.
Our HR Generalist, HR Operations, Recruitment, Learning & Development, and Organisational Development & Talent teams work together to make this happen.
HR Generalist
Our HR Generalist team create great experiences at Penguin. They support the delivery of the HR strategy across all departments and sit across all of our sites, so that they can closely connect with the colleagues in each location.
They work in close partnership with the managers in our business to create high-performing teams. They build a shared understanding of how business goals align with our greatest resource – our people – so we can give valuable expertise and guidance on implementing the people-related aspects of business plans. This can involve providing insights, ideas, and input in areas such as team building, organisational design, and talent management.
They provide coaching and expert advice to colleagues on topics such as career development, performance, and wellness. We help build a culture where everyone feels they belong, and can advise on areas such as accessibility. They support right the way from induction to offboarding. Day to day, they act as a sounding board and provide coaching and advice to managers on a range of topics. They can support with legal advice, recruitment, onboarding, and a range of other HR processes.
Recruitment is a specialist function within the wider HR team, that spans across day to day recruitment activities, outreach and training programs, and wider brand activity that positions us as an attractive employer. All three work together collaboratively to pool expertise and resource.
Recruitment partner with dedicated business areas so we understand the hiring needs of the teams to attract and hire the best talent for the job. Their role is to co-create and execute inclusive hiring plans with hiring managers. They use the expertise and knowledge of the external market to find, inspire and select the broadest range of talent.
Penguin are focused on recruiting the best talent inclusively, strengthening the company’s reputation as an employer, and offering a compelling candidate experience. The EB team focus on building the company’s reputation as an attractive and progressive employer: seeking to inspire and engage new talent through campaigns, outreach and our training programmes.
Recruitment & Employer Brand
HR Operations & Data
Our HR Operations team cover three main functions: People Analytics and Insights, HR Operations, and HR Information Systems. They are based in our London offices.
They offer administrative support across the entire HR team. As well as dealing with first-line employee queries on areas like benefits, our HR platforms, and policies, they are responsible for adding employees to our HR systems; drafting and issuing contracts and letters; and managing the administration of our long service awards and parental leave requests. Alongside their contact with colleagues and people managers, they liaise with our internal HR and technology teams, and Bertelsmann our parent company.
HR Ops provides quality information that helps support our strategic decision-making. We work with the whole HR team to understand what we need and to find solutions to enable us to answer questions using data.
They also manage all salary activities including our transparent pay bands and processing annual pay awards and bonuses. They manage the relationship with our benefit providers, undertake market reviews, update our benefit offerings, and ensure that we understand how we shape up to our competitors.
Learning & Development (L&D) work across all of the departments at Penguin – identifying development needs and providing support and opportunities for both teams and individuals to grow and develop.
They run The Academy, a learning hub of programmes, courses and resources across a wide range of topics – from pitching skills, to mentoring, to building confidence and much more. Alongside this, they also run tailored learning programmes focused on developing skills in editorial, for example, and people management and leadership development. They also support hiring managers and individual colleagues by supporting one-off training requests.
Alongside this, they run the company work experience programme and design and support development opportunities for participants on our training programmes, such as the Next Editors Programme and The Scheme. They collaborate with the Employer Brand team to make sure the trainees get the most out of their time here and are set up for success.
Learning & Development
Organisational Development & Talent
OD & Talent work largely at an organisational level, leading much of the company’s employee inclusion work, alongside the HR Director. From supporting the employee networks, to running the annual inclusion survey and its analysis through to identifying new programmes and ways to support Penguin to become more inclusive in how it attracts, develops, and retains talent.
They take a holistic view, understanding how different elements of HR connect, spotting opportunities to do things differently, and coming up with solutions to bring ideas to life. They work on initiatives like our internal Design Your Career hub, designed to support and promote career development and progression.
Recruitment & L&D both sit under the umbrella of OD and Talent, to ensure a joined-up talent life-cycle: from how we inspire and attract talent to join, through to how we support colleague development and growth.
As regular communicators to the business, we must have a dedicated communications manager in our department who offers guidance on the best way to communicate regular updates, business news, and key dates.
This role is a key member of both the Human Resources and Communications teams, working as a bridge between the two teams to ensure close collaboration and joined up plans.
They align to our Employer Brand identity and wider Penguin Tone of Voice, so that our colleagues receive engaging and consistent communications at the right time, on the right channel.
They support on our Design Your Career Hub platform, our intranet Roost, and our new joiner induction process, amongst many other things!
HR Communications
